1. Field of The Invention
The present invention relates generally to the integrity of refuse retention devices. More specifically, the invention is a device designed to keep a lid installed on a waste receptacle even when it is being jostled about. The device can be used to compact trash in a container and used as a lever to move certain trash barrels with wheels.
2. Description of Related Art
Numerous devices have been developed that are designed to immobilize in place the lid or cover of a container. Despite similarities with the device under consideration, the apparatus and methods used by conventional techniques are not suitable to be applied to the case of the current invention as herein described. In other words, conventional lid retention devices. superficially resemble and do not compare in structure or function to a device which provides a combination of lid removal, trash can mobility and trash can compaction as herein described.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,325,808 issued to Stephansko discloses a galvanized steel garbage can with a lid containing pivotable rods that lock the lid on the can. Rotating a central handle causes the lid to lock or unlock. However, there might be problems associated with adopting this design with plastic materials.
The nature of the refuse receptacle has changed: years ago they were made of galvanized steel, but now plastics are increasingly used in their construction. They also now come with multi-functional handles and wheels.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,325,808 issued to Stephansko discloses a galvanized steel garbage can with a lid containing pivotable rods that lock the lid on the can. Rotating a central handle causes the lid to lock or unlock. However, there might be problems associated with adopting this design with plastic materials.
Over the years, refuse collection has changed to reflect higher productivity standards. Refuse collectors are going to balk at removing trash from cans that require the performance of a sequence of steps or a great deal of effort in order to open the refuse can.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,661,974 issued to Zehnder discloses a lid held on a can by a rod thrust through a hand grip on the top of the lid. Each end of the rod is held in place by springs tethered to opposing handle grips on the sides of the can. The result is a lid held firmly in place. Having to undo such spring loaded devices can be time consuming under such rushed circumstances as encountered by refuse collectors.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,140,795 issued to Griffith et al discloses the use of coiled springs. The coiled springs constitute a waste band around the can and a connection through a handle on the top of the lid from one side of the waste band to its opposite side. The remarks made concerning the previous paragraph also seem to apply here. There is also the possibility that springs can catch a child""s finger or hair or an animal""s fir.
A U.S. Pat. No. 3,817,563 issued to McGlothlin is similar to U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,325,808 and 3,140,795. It is subject to the same criticisms.
A number of patents have been issued for retaining straps with loops. U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,830 issued to Spellman discloses a resilient one-piece tension strap having three strap extension portions terminating in three looped portions for attachment. The opposing loops are meant to attach to a can""s side handles while the other loop attaches to a hook anchored to a stationary object. This device features no rigid bars or any rigid members at all.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,413,851 issued to Ritter discloses a broad retainer strap used to hold in a closed position a lid on a can with opposed open-loop side handles. One end encompasses one side handle and doubles back on itself in a buckle. The other end goes around the other side handle and is attached to itself with a pair of detachable snap fasteners. The same remarks made regarding U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,830 can be applied to this patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,644,874 issued to Kleykamp discloses a hatch cover used mostly for hopper cars. The lid is made of a polymeric material. It should be clear that the disadvantage of this device is its costly nature. The same could be said of the device of U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,253 issued to Sharp. This discloses a removable center-point compression sealing Lid.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,638,977 issued to Bianchi discloses a lid secured by means of a system of holes placed in the lid rim in alignment with the corresponding holes in the top rim of the container. A securing rod passes through the corresponding holes. A conduit is provided on the underside of the lid in alignment with the holes in the lid and the holes in the container.
A French Patent FR 658,075 issued to Migaud discloses a can such that the lid has a bar welded along a diameter and each end of the bar is curved to produce a semicircle so as to create two opposite hooks. In correspondence with these hooks are loops mounted on the sides of the can. One of these loops is moved by means of a thumb lever a variable distance with respect to its corresponding hook such that the maximum resistance of the hook to the loop occurs just before the thumb lever is snapped shut.
A Patent of Great Britain GB 347,405 issued to Robinson discloses a lid to a can so that the lid is provided with a transverse handle whose ends are extended past the edge of the lid and can, and are adapted to be bent so as to secure the lid to the rim of the can.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.
The combination lid lock and compactor according to the present invention has a tubular structure which conformed to a shape somewhat resembling a lazy letter W or curvilinear structure. Welded perpendicularly to the bottom at one of the lobes of the xe2x80x9cWxe2x80x9d is a small rectangular plate or stabilizer which reduces turning forces or torques. A non-skid end guard is put on the far end and a non-slip handle grip is located on the other end for user manipulation. The rectangular plate on the first lobe and the second lobe of the xe2x80x9cWxe2x80x9d provide more than three points of stable contact with a lid of a refuse receptacle. The parts of the lid lock that resemble the xe2x80x9cwingsxe2x80x9d of the xe2x80x9cWxe2x80x9d having minima and maxima surface contours which provide a point of contact within an opposing hand grip apertures which are conventionally mounted on the sides of a receptacle. The skid resistant capped end of the lid lock can also be used to force refuse deeper into the receptacle as a manually operated trash compactor. In another state, the lid lock is used as a lever serving as an auxiliary handle on a receptacle with wheels and a side handle on the side nearest the wheels for easy manipulation and rolling transport by a user.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to secure a lid on a refuse can by means of a simple device designed to fit under oppositely situated handles near the rim of a refuse can and exert pressure on the lid of the can so as to secure or lock it.
It is another object of the invention to provide a combination lid lock and compactor as a wedged member under a receptacle""s front hand grip adjacent to a receptacle side having wheels at its base so that the rubber on the far end grips the body of the receptacle and the handle of the invention can be used to control the receptacle in a transport mode.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a combination lid lock and compactor which serve as a single device trash compactor by inserting the far or first end (opposite the near or second end) into the receptacle to fend off the miscreant garbage.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a combination lid lock and compactor which also serves as a lever.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.